HS XC Practices thru the start of classes!

Here is the HS XC practice plan as distributed on Wednesday morning. Still possibly subject to change, so if it looks smokey at 4pm double check your email on TH and FRI for possible retreats to the school:

WED 8/23 - 5pm at LBHS - Easy run or light speed work + strength
+TH 8/24 - 5pm at Chickadee Trailhead (Sun Mountain) - Easy distance.
FRI 8/25 - 5pm at Big Valley Ranch - Warmup and 1-1.5mi time trial.
**SAT 8/26 - 7:30am easy distance with Erik 45-60+min at... TBD and disclosed on Friday.
SUN 8/27 - OFF

 
MON 8/28 - Easy distance. Time/Place TBD but ideally off-campus and n the morning unless smokey.
TUE 8/29 - First day of school! Practice at 3:35!
WED 8/30 - ALL of our WED practices will be at 3:35.

+ A logical rest day for many of you - or bring a bike to practice and take a ride to give your legs a running break. This is totally OK and encouraged if it sounds appealing.

** Only an option if you have done summer runs in that 45-60min range and don't feel too tired from the start of the week.

Check-in with Erik at practice if you have questions about these options. Let us know what you'd like to do.

Thanks for a great first two days of practice and for your patience!

HS XC - First Week Practice Plans!

SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK... The original plan was to be at school on MON and WED but to meet in a few other spots throughout the week. At this point, we will take it day-by-day, but at least through WED the most likely scenario appears to be school. Maybe TUES night will work at the Winthrop Park...? but I will email by 3pm that day with confirmation.

Mon 8/21 - 5-6:16pm at school.
        Welcome. Cardio work likely inside. Stretching.
Tues 8/22 - 5-6:15pm at the Winthrop Park... but likely at school??
        Easy run or rolling tempo work + strength.
Wed 8/23 - 5-6:15pm at school.
        Easy run + strides.
Thur 8/24 - 5pm at TBD
Fri 8/25 - 5pm at TBD (Maybe Big Valley Ranch Time Trial)
Sat 8/26 - TBD but a possible early morning longer run w/ Erik. Not required and not recommended unless you have maintained 4+ days of running for much of the summer.

HS XC: Register before the first day of practice!

The XC season starts on Monday, August 21st, and you must be registered before that first practice. Visit the Methow Valley School District page at Arbiter Sports (formerly FamilyID) and sign up today!

ALL HS PRACTICES THIS FIRST WEEK WILL START AT 5:00PM!

The Monday practice will be at LBHS. A detailed list of other locations will be posted shortly.

2023 Parents Letter

Greetings Liberty Bell parents and interested HS XC runners!

Cross country is a terrific sport for building fitness, confidence in yourself, and for getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. It is very much a “team” sport composed of individual performances and as ‘18 graduate Eden Davis once remarked, “it is also very much like a family – in all of the best ways possible” :)

With rare exceptions, we practice and travel as a combined squad of girls and boys. Everyone races. Everyone gets a chance to run. There are varsity and junior varsity competitions – with the scoring varsity team being your top seven runners – but there is no bench. Everyone plays. Right up until the championship meets at the end of the season, each and every student-athlete gets a chance to toe the line and test themselves against the clock and the course... and we celebrate those efforts at the finish line!

As coaches, my wife Sarah Brooks and I do our very best to see each athlete as individuals but also very much try to foster a team perspective. We create team workouts with common goals and ideas, but also adapt to paces and distances and combinations of intensity and rest that are thoughtfully suited to each runner's recent training and/or race performance.

The upcoming 2023 season will be my 11th (I think) as a XC coach here at LBHS and my 5th as the head coach. I also teach art and coach track here at LBHS and have previous experience as a DIII collegiate XC and distance coach at Carleton College (Northfield, MN). Sarah has been coaching since 2016 and spends her working days as the Executive Director at the Methow Conservancy. We love sharing our own enjoyment for this sport and were fortunate enough to share the “family” side of this sport through coaching our own relatively recent graduate, Keeley Brooks - now starting her junior year in college.

Team communications throughout the season take place via email, but you can also find our weekly schedule, important “postable” information, photos, and our weekly race reports on the team blog: https://libertybellxc.blogspot.com/ 

If you are new to the Valley, are curious about trying XC for the first time, or just want to ask us any additional questions about the fall 2023 season, feel free to reach out using the contact information listed below.

We look forward to hearing from you! GRRR!!!

Erik & Sarah Brooks